Open letter to Arvind Kejriwal by a DU student

I hope you remember November 26th 2012, the day Aam Aadmi Party was born. Let me first tell you that I always thought the coming of AAP in Indian politics was in the best interests of our country. AAP was a fresh breeze in the traditional political sphere; it evoked hope, idealism and promised to be a ‘party with a difference’. AAP won on Anti-corruption plank and the fledgling party was given a resounding victory by us, the people of Delhi in 2015 and you tasted the first political success and were elected as a chief minister of Delhi.

Sir, your party with a difference was very popular among students. It was believed that you will truly ‘revolutionise’ the student politics which was much needed and would free us from the traditional money muscle politics of ABVP (student wing of BJP) and by NSUI (student wing of congress). When CYSS, the student wing of your party was founded in 2014, we had high hopes, and after you became the CM of Delhi it was decided that CYSS will contest elections in Delhi. We thought you will address the serious issues which were plaguing the students of Delhi University since long.

After CYSS entered the political arena of DU, doubts regarding “party with a difference” started surfacing in the minds of common students. We thought CYSS will question the choice based credit system, which was imposed just 6 days ahead of this year academic session and leads to serious devaluation of our honours degrees by introducing grading system and substandard syllabus. But Sir, to our disappointment not only CYSS choose to remain silent on this burning issue but seemed indifferent towards it. The issue on which over thousands of first years students filled an opinion form survey, and gave a massive verdict of over 93% against it, was ignored by your CYSS at a time when the Students Union led by ABVP was supporting it due to its government policy. Similar to traditional political parties like ABVP and NSUI, CYSS also chooses to remain silent on the right to hostel facilities to all, unavailability of gender sensitisation committees, rent control act and transport issues. How do you expect us to believe CYSS’s empty rhetoric of ‘anti-corruption’ on which many millions of rupees are being spent for the booking of bus-stop and footpath screens and hoardings? Lacs of issue-less posters with names of probable candidates and hanging hoardings and littering our campuses have littered the city. Where is the crores of money coming from? And is this model of money based politics of empty rhetoric really ‘the politics with a difference?

Sir, CYSS has not only spent millions on littering our campus, defaming our walls and bus stops but is also competing with ABVP and NSUI in organising parties, concerts, rock music festivals for fresher’s just ahead of DUSU polls. But having said that, I feel today, the most astounding aspect is that the Delhi Government is lending full support to CYSS in this endeavour. The illegality and immortality was visible in the way in which the inauguration of a U-special bus for south campus college started by DTC was attributed by the ministers to CYSS. The buses were flagged off with CYSS banners and were aimed at showing it to be an achievement of it. This is not only a pre-poll gimmick but also ignored the serious underlying issue of transport that we, DU students have been fighting for long like unavailability of women special buses for long.

CYSS is promoting the status quoist politics of DU of money muscle power, without raising the issues. Remember sir; many students who gave you your resounding mandate are feeling cheated now.